5 more accused of bribery in Covid repatriation flight scandal

Nguyen Manh Cuong, 46, head of budget carrier Vietjet Air’s E-Commerce Department, was put on house arrest Saturday pending an investigation into his role in allegedly giving bribes to launch for-profit Covid-19 repatriation flights at the height of the pandemic, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Also put on house arrest were alleged accomplices Dang Nhat Duc, director of the Top Agent Japan company, and Tran Thanh Nha, 32, the ministry reported.

The same day, Vu Hong Quang, 46, former deputy head of the Aviation Transport Department under the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, and Vu Hoang Dung, 36, were also arrested on suspicion of giving bribes.

The accusations came as part of an investigation into a Covid-19 repatriation bribery scandal, which has seen several personnel from numerous ministries and departments receive prison sentences for giving and receiving bribes, as well as abuse of power and other charges.

In July, following an 18-day trial, the Hanoi People’s Court sentenced 54 people for several charges, including giving bribes, receiving bribes, soliciting bribes, obtaining property by fraud, and abuse of power.

Four people were imprisoned for life in the case: former head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ consular department Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, former investigator Hoang Van Hung of the Ministry of Public Security’s investigation department, former secretary to the Deputy Minister of Health Pham Trung Kien, and deputy head of the staff division of the immigration department under the public security ministry Vu Anh Tuan.

From early 2020 to mid-2021, 372 combo repatriation flights were organized for Vietnamese to return to Vietnam from abroad during the pandemic. For those flights to be approved, 20 businesses had given and received bribes 515 times, totaling VND165 billion ($6.77 million).